A/N: Hey! I'm back with a new fanfic of mine. I recently got into Haikyuu! and I highly recommend it to everyone. ^^ Enjoy!
Warning: Future!Fic (the first years are now third years) as well as being from the perspective from an OC. Might contain mistakes since I don't have a beta.
Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu! nor its characters. Only the idea is mine, and it was inspired by Viria's fan art of Future!Yamaguchi with a ponytail. ^^
From a Different Perspective
"Shitshitshitshitshitshiiiiiit! I'm gonna be late! Where's that damn gym?!"
I rush down yet another hallway, hoping that the double doors I see at the end of it will be the correct one after the twenty-some wrong ones.
I burst through and sigh in relief as I hear the sound of sneakers squeaking on the polished gymnasium floor, the constant stream of volleyballs being spiked as well as a the occasional encouraging shout.
Suddenly, I felt someone smack the back of my head.
"Owwww!"
I turned around to see that the person who hit me was my best friend, Tekkou Takashima. And if his unimpressed look was anything to go by, he didn't seem particularly pleased with me.
"You idiot, what took you so long? The match is about to start."
"Geez, sorry! It's not my fault that every single hallway looks the same!"
However, when my brain processed what he just said, my face broke into a sneaky grin, the smack completely forgotten.
"So the match hasn't started yet?"
"No, you got lucky. They're missing a referee so they are a bit behind schedule. Come on, I saved us seats."
I followed him and noticed that he reserved places on the front row. They seemed to be the only ones left empty though.
As I sat down, I peaked at my neighbours and noticed that, of the three guys to my left, one of them had grey-ish hair, which in itself was pretty weird while one of his companion sported a loose ponytail. The other one stood out the least, with black hair and a seemingly average built. Their faces seemed familiar but I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt another smack.
"Pay attention, the game is starting."
"Owww... I swear, one of these days, I'm going to get you for that. My head's not a volleyball, you do realize that don't you? You can't go spiking it whenever you feel like it..."
Taka completely ignored me as he continued.
"Remember our purpose: we're here to collect intel on the teams. Since we're graduating Junior High this year, we need to have a clear idea of which school would be best suited for us."
"You mean 'your' purpose right...? I'm just tagging along, being the great friend I am." At his unimpressed look, I continued, "And it's not as if I particularly cared about which school I was going to. Since I'll end up going wherever you go anyways."
My best friend levelled me with a glare, when the shrill sound of the whistle being blown brought his attention back to the court in front of us.
"Oh, looks like the match's about to start. Huh, I see. Karasuno High vs. Usagiri High eh."
I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes.
"You know them?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.
"Well, I don't really know the players that well but Karasuno's the team who's been winning the Spring High the past few years. They were nicknamed "The Flightless Crows" after their old coach retired and they went into a decline but two years ago, things changed. Apparently, the newbie line was their saving grace. Usagiri on the other hand, is a new team but they've been gaining popularity lately. Their strong suits are their amazingly high jumps and speed. Now quiet, the match is starting."
I snickered at Taka's geekiness for all things Volleyball before shifting my attention to the match in front of me.
As the game unfolded right before my eyes, even if I didn't know much about the sport, I could tell that both teams were extremely good. It helped that Taka was giving me live commentary on the roles and plays of each player as well as offering a few background information.
A few players did manage to amaze me. Number 10 on Karasuno's team was surprising to say the least. He and 2, the black haired setter, made a formidable duo that had the opponents scrambling all over the court. Number 1, the blond haired captain, was doing a great job blocking the majority of the spikes. Their libero was also diving all over the place to put the ball back into play.*
However, despite their impressive plays, Usagiri High was nothing to scoff at, proving with this game that, while they might be a new team, they are to be taken seriously. For every point Karasuno would score, they would be right behind.
I looked at Taka. He was so completely absorbed by the game that he even seemed to have stopped breathing.
Suddenly, the whistle was blown and I looked at the score board. 20-21 in Usagiri High's favour. I sighed as I slumped back against the seat and let my eyes wander to the Karasuno team's bench, where their coach was discussing some kind of plan with them. On my left, the three guys muttered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at the bench.
My attention went back to the it and I noticed a single freckled man with neck length hair. The coach seemed to be speaking to him and he smiled awkwardly. For some reason, I was interested in him.
"Hey, Taka."
"Hum?" came the distracted reply. One look and I saw that he was scribbling some notes down in his notebook.
"Do you know number 12, the guy with the freckles, down there?"
"What? Oh him? No, I don't know. I don't think that he's a regular though... Why-"
"That's Yamaguchi."
-came the reply from my left. My head whipped around to see that it was Grey guy who talked to me. The guy was looking at the court and he had this smile on his face as number 11 was subbed out to be replaced by number 12, aka Freckles.
Both me and Taka leaned in to listen, as it seemed that this stranger knew quite a bit about the team. He continued his explanation.
"He's what you call a pinch server. When we're at a tie breaker or a desperate situation, the pinch server is someone we put forth in the hopes that he could score a few points."
I instantly became less interested.
"Ehh? How uncool, so he's like the backup?" I said in a bored voice. All of sudden, it's the black haired, average looking dude that spoke up.
"Don't look down at him just because he's a pinch server. Look."
I did as he said and looked back down.
The captain just handed a black elastic to Freckles and said something that the we couldn't quite hear. However, whatever he said seemed to have caused a change in number 12. His smile, which originally contained a few hints of shyness, awkwardness as well as uncertainty, sharpened and his gaze steeled. The whole atmosphere around him changed as he slowly tied up his hair in a ponytail.
As he snapped the elastic on the last turn, his aura was so different from the guy sitting on the bench initially that I almost didn't recognize him.
"You know Yamaguchi's serious when he ties his hair up. Consequently..."
The referee blew the whistle, signalling the end of the break. Yamaguchi took the server's position. He slapped the ball against the floor a few times before he threw it up in the air. His gaze became piercing as he stared, unwavering, at the other side of the net and his hand finally connected with the ball after doing a perfect arc. I tensed in anticipation.
Although the serve itself wasn't really powerful, what surprised me was how at the last second, right as the other team was about to hit it, the ball changed direction and abruptly fell. I heard a gasp from my right, Taka probably, as I whipped my head to look at the black haired stranger.
"...he never misses."
If that wasn't smugness literally dripping from his voice, then I don't know what it was.
However, I had a question on my mind that I had to ask.
"W-well if he's so good, why isn't he a regular?" I blurted out. I couldn't understand how someone with his skills was on the bench most of the time. I watched in silent amazement as he executed yet another service ace, a spike this time.
"Well, actually, he was offered a position as a regular. He turned it down," came the reply.
I looked at the person who answered, Ponytail this time, in disbelief.
He smiled awkwardly.
"Yeah. Apparently, he believed that he could do a better job as a pinch server than as a regular player. Also, he didn't want to take the place of someone more deserving than himself. All he wanted was to be able to win a few points for the team as a pinch server in every game. That's what made him the happiest."
I continued watching the rest of the game but in a completely different state of mind than the one I started in. I felt numb as Karasuno claimed their victory. One look at Taka and I knew that he was feeling the exact same thing.
As we shuffled out of the gymnasium, neither of us said a word. I was left to my thoughts as Taka and I went our separate ways.
As I reach home, I came to an unshakable conclusion that ended up changing the rest of my life:
Volleyball...
...was amazing.
*For this paragraph, I assumed that since Daichi, Suga and Asahi are not longer part of the team, Tsukki would have become the captain so he is now wearing the number 1 and Kageyama would've replaced Suga so number 2. And since nothing could probably part Hinata from his Little Giant, aka number 10, so he keeps his.
A/N: So yeah, this is the end of it! If you noticed any mistakes, please tell me so that I can correct it asap. Please leave a review and tell me if you liked it or not. :)